Monday, August 29, 2011

1-Germany’s Jurgen Kohler and France’s Zinedine Zidane were both sent off in their last matches as professionals. Kohler was sent off for his club Borussia Dortmund in the 2002 UEFA Cup Final vs. Feyenoord.

Zidane was most infamously sent off for his head butt on Italian Materzazzi during the 2006 World Cup Final.

2-For 1982 World Cup Finals, West German manager Juup Derwall took 19 out of the authorized 22 players to Spain. The remaining three players (Holger Hieronymus, Stefan Engels and Thomas Allofs) stayed in Germany as stand-by.

Derwall had stated that why should he take players who knew would most likely not play and just be bored and depressed in their hotel rooms.

3- The 1987 English League Final, between Liverpool and Arsenal (won 2-1 by Arsenal), was the first time that Liverpool had lost a match that Ian Rush had scored in (he had joined Liverpool in 1980).

Photo: From Mondia, April 1985

4-English club Nottingham Forest FC is the only previous Champions Cup winner to be playing now in lower divisions.

-About eight months after this match, on June 23, 1991, former Yugoslav provinces of Slovenia and Croatia declared independence from Yugoslavia, which started the civil war.

-After the break-up of Yugoslavia, Katanec played for Slovenia, Jarni and Boban played for Croatia, Pancev and Najdoski played for FYR Macedonia.

-Red Star Belgrade stars Dejan Savicevic and Robert Prosinecki were unavailable for this match.

-Yugoslavia won its third straight match in this Euro qualifying group, they would go on to win 7 out of 8 matches, only losing the return fixture of this leg to Denmark.

-Yugoslavia would qualify from this group. However, due to the ongoing Civil War in Bosnia, UN sanctions were applied and just before the start of the tournament Yugoslavia was excluded from the Tournament Finals. Denmark replaced in them and went to win the title.

-Katanec, Susic and Zlatko Vujovic earned their last caps for Yugoslavia. Starting 1991, Yugoslav manager Osim started replacing the old guard with new younger players specially those of Red Star Belgrade.

-Red Star players Pancev and Najdoski went on to win Champions Cup at the end of that season vs. Olympique Marseille of France.

- On November 20, 1990, Brothers Michael and Brian Laudrup and Jan Bartram withdrew themselves from further selection while Richard Moller-Nielsen is in charge.

Jan Bartram said he would like to make way for younger players.

Michael Laudrup said he no longer had any enthusiasm.

Brian Laudrup said he lacked respect for the manager.

All three would eventually come back; Bartram was the first to come back in the spring of 1991. Brian Laudrup returned by early 1992 and finally Michael Laudrup returned to the national team in the fall of 1993.

Michael Laudrup in interviews cited as one of his reasons, the defensive tactics of the new manager. Denmark had been playing an attractive, offensive game for a decade under previous manager the German Sepp Piontek.

-This was Denmark’s first home loss in an official tournament qualifier since the September 9, 1981 loss to Yugoslavia in Copenhagen.

-Denmark’s Michael laudrup and Yugoslavia’s Pedrag Spasic both played for Spanish giants Real Madrid in their career. Denmark’s Fleming Povlsen was on their nursery team Castilla for one season.

Robert Jarni also played for Real Madrid but by then he was a Croatia international player.

Both Jarni and Michael Laudrup also represented Italian Club Juventus in their careers.

-Yugoslavia’s star Dragan Stojkovic missed this match through injury. He was injured shortly after joining Olympique Marseille and never really gained full fitness that season. He missed all of Yugoslavia’s matches for the season.

-Both Yugoslavia’s players Zvonimir Boban and Mehemt Bzdarevic had returned to national team duty that season after serving suspensions.

Mehmed Bzdarevic had spat on the referee during a World Cup Qualifier (October 11, 1989 vs. Norway 1-0) and on October 25, 1989, was banned for international football for one year.

On February 2, 1990, FIFA announced that Mehmet Bazdarevic was banned from the World Cup for spitting at referee in Norway match.

On May 24,1990, Zvonimir Boban was suspended for the Zagreb riot, where he had fought with policemen during the Yugoslavia Cup Final between Dinamo Zagreb and Red Star Belgrade.

-Safet Susic assumed captaincy for Yugoslavia after Vujovic was substituted.

Monday, August 22, 2011

1-When Paulo Roberto Falcao was named Brazil manager following the 1990 World Cup, he was initially forbidden by the Brazilian Federation to select any foreign-based player. The foreign-based players were seen as the scapegoats for the World Cup debacle.

Photo : from Mondial, July 1982

Falcao and Blokhin (June 14, 1982 World Cup, Brazil 2-USSR 1)

2-French Captain Michel Platini signed a pre-contract with Italian Serie A club Internazionale FC Milano in 1980, when borders were still closed for foreign player transfers.

However, Inter chose not to exercise that option when the borders re-opened and Platini joined Juventus two years later.

5-During the 1974 World Cup Final, between West Germany and Holland, German striker Gerd Muller scored a goal in the second half that was ruled offside. However, later Television replays showed that the goal was in fact valid.

-Sandor Puhl, the referee of this match, refereed the World Cup Final match between Brazil and Italy the following year.

-This defeat essentially sealed Scotland’s fate in this group, as well as, Scotland manager Andy Roxburgh’s. He resigned before the end of the year on September 13, 1993, a few days after a 1-1 tie with Switzerland. He had been in charge since after the 1986 World Cup. His assistant Craig Brown replaced him.

-Scotland Captain Richard Gough quit the Scotland team in disgust after a bitter dispute with the manager over the tactics for the game.

He ended his national team career after 10 years after this match.

He claimed Scotland’s tactics for this match were decided following a conversation the coaching staff had with a Lisbon taxi driver.

In an interview with “Herald Scotland” on March 25, 2011, Gough regretted his decision to quit and stated that he should have carried on playing.

-Scotland failed to qualify for a World Cup for the first time since 1970. They had qualified for the past five World Cups.

-Portugal’s Jorge Cadete played at Celtic FC Glasgow from April 1996 to 1997. He also played at Patrick Thistle FCin 2004.

-Portugal’s Barros and Scotland’s Collins played for french club AS Monaco during their career.

-Portugal’s Barros and Futre joined french club Olympique de Marseille the following season.

-During this calendar year, Paulo Futre played for 4 clubs. He left his club Atletico Madrid in early 1993 to join Benfica. He left Benfica in the offseason to join Olympique Marseille and finally in November he joined Italian club Reggiana.

-Portugal’s Abel Xavier and Paulo Futre had spells in Britain in the English Premier League, Xavier with Everton and Liverpool and Futre with West Ham United.